Minted Parsnip Souffle Food

PARSNIP AND CHEDDAR SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Combine parsnips, water, salt and bay leaf in medium saucepan. Cover and simmer until parsnips are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid; discard bay leaf. Puree parsnips in processor until smooth. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature.)
• Butter 8-cup soufflè dish; dust with flour. Melt 1/4 cup butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in 1 cup cooking liquid. Boil until smooth and thick, whisking frequently, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, sage and parsnip puree. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in yolks.
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into parsnip mixture in 3 additions. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake until soufflè is puffed and top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

TURNIP SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Combine in buttered casserole dish.
• Top with buttered bread crumbs.
• Bake in preheated 375F oven for 30 minutes.

PARSNIP AND SHARP CHEDDAR SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart soufflé dish. Coat evenly with the bread crumbs.
• Slice the parsnips into 1/2-inch-wide pieces and put them in a 3-quart saucepan with the water, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the parsnips are tender, about 20 minutes. Strain, reserving the water but discarding the bay leaf. Puree the parsnips in a food processor. You should have about 1 1/2 cups puree.
• Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes to cook the flour; do not allow the mixture to brown. Whisk in 1 cup of the parsnip cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, whisking often and scraping the sides of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Whisk in the parsnip puree and simmer, whisking often, for 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks, cheese, parsley, thyme, and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl. Put a piece of plastic wrap on top of the mixture to keep a skin from forming, and let cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put a baking sheet in the bottom third of the oven to heat. With an electric stand mixer or handheld beaters, or by hand with a whisk, whip the egg whites and a pinch of kosher salt until the whites are stiff but not dry. Gently fold one-third of the beaten whites into the parsnip mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites. Transfer to the prepared soufflé dish. With the tip of a rubber spatula, trace a circle about 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch from the rim of the dish; this tracing will produce a top-hat effect when the soufflé rises.
• Set the soufflé on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 375°F and continue cooking until the soufflé is nicely browned on top, well risen, and firm to the touch, 45 to 50 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Reserve or another rich and silky white wine.

CARROT-AND-PARSNIP SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lower third. Brush a 2 1/2-quart souffle dish with butter, then coat with sugar.
• Bring parsnips, carrots, and carrot juice to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup liquid. Puree vegetables, reserved liquid, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is golden and nutty-smelling, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk (mixture will splatter) and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens to a paste, about 1 minute. Stir into vegetable puree along with yolks, lemon juice, thyme, and allspice. Let cool completely.
• Beat egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and slowly add sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir one-third of egg-white mixture into carrot mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture just until combined. Transfer to prepared dish; gently smooth top.
• Bake souffle until puffed and golden brown on top and center is set, 50 to 55 minutes; serve.